Balancing means for turbines.



-E. THOMSON.

BALANCING MEANS FOR TURBINES. APPLICATION rum) MAR.19, 1907.

969L734. Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

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Witnesses: Inventor,

a Ii u Thomson,

; citizen of the United UNITED TEs PATENT OFFICE.

ELII-IU THOMSON, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC-- COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF .NEW YORK.

BALANCING MEANS FOR TURBINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it 'known that I, ELIHU Tiious'oN, a States, residing at Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Balancing Means for Turbines. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to elastic fluid turbines, and its object is to provide means for balancing the end thrust by the steam or other elastic fluid flowing through the sets of buckets.

The invention has special reference to tur bines of the axial flow, horizontal type, but is not necessarily confined thereto.

It consists, inbrief, in a disk secured to the end of the shaft or at some other convenient point thereon, and inclosed in the casing of the turbine with one face adjacent to a stationaryportion of said casing.

on the shaft by causing it dinal section of a Elastic fluid 1s a mitted to the space between said disk and said stationary portion of the casing, the latter formin an abutment, so that the tension of the fluid exerts a pressure against the disk, tending to force it away from the abutment. The line of pressure is parallel with the axis of the shaft, and is arranged to be in opposition to theend thrust produced by the fluid acting on the buckets. If desired, the fluid escaping from between the disk and the abutment may be utilized to produce a torsion to pass throu h suitable buckets and intermediates; body of escaping steam or other fluid rected through a contracted annular mouth into an enlarged exhaustchamber, and the effect of this contracted mouth is in the na ture of an ejector, so that more or less of a vacuum is produced in the turbine casing. This effect may be heightcned'by placing fan blades on the disk.

1 The accompanying drawing is a longituhorizontal turbine embodying my invention.

The shaft 1 journaled in a suitable bearing 2 carries the bucket wheel or drum 3, which is secured to said shaft by a key 4 .or otherwise. The drum is provided with a plurality of rows of buckets 5, suitably spaced apart to admit the stationary intermediates 6 between them. Steam or other elastic fluid is. supplied to the first ring of Application filed March 19, 1907.

on the shaft caused Tie l I is dil fan blades 16, which by their buckets through suitable nozzles or other fluld d schar ing devices '7, otherwise, anflows from one set of'bueke s to the next alon r the entire length of the drum, escaping "nally into the casing-8, which incloses all the working parts, and is constructed with an annular exhaust passage 9. J

v A disk 10 secured to the shaft, preferably m the plane of the exhaust passage, as shown. One face of this disk is' located ncarthe flat head 11 of the casing, leaving a thln circular space between them, with which a pipe 12 communicates. Steam or other elastic fluid is conducted through this pipe and exerts a pressure against the disk, the head of the casing forming an abutment for the expanding steam. The area of the disk is so proportioned to the normal steam pressure that the end thrust caused by the impact of the steam upon the buckets is counterbalanced by the pressure on the disk.

If desired the periphery of the disk may be provided with radial buckets 13 cooperatv ing with stationar' intermediates 14 on the head 11. In any event, the steam esca ing from between the disk and the head 11 ows of this contracted mouth is to produce an ejector action upon the fluid contents of the casing, so that the exhaust therefrom is rendered more positive. To assist in this action, the disk may,if desired, be equipped with centrifugal action force the exhaust steam toward the exhaust passage.

By reason of the reaction of the buckets on. the periphery of the disk, the )ressure in the space between the disk and the hea 11 is maintained practically uniform, and owing to the congested passageway by which the steam must escape from this s ace, the amount so passing is com arative y small. Inasmuch as this is utilize to assist in the rotation of the shaft, the device is not a wasteful one.

If desired, I may provide a thrust collar or other equivalent device parts. Such a device would compensate for expanding or to accurately 10-- cate the rows of wheel and intermediate any changes in pressure of the nuid. supplied to the chamber between the disk and the stationary abutment.

I have shown a turbine of the artialflow impact type, but it is to be un erstood that the invention is of wide application and includes turbines of other types, as for example, those of the reaction type.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have "it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that; the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of-the United States, is,

l. The combination with an elastic fluidturbine and its shaft, of adisk secured to said shaft, a casing, a surface in proximity to one face of said disk,

ing with the space between said surface and the disk and conveying elastic fluid whereby a pressure will be exerted on the disk in opposition to the end thrust onthe shaft, and an ejector that is acted upon by the fluid exhausting from the turbine to decrease the pressure in the casing.

2. The combination with an elastic fluid turbine and its shaft, of a disk secured to said shaft, a.- casing, a stationary surface in proximity to said disk, means for admitting elastic fluid to the space between said disk and surface, buckets carried by said disk, and an ejector that is acted upon by the fluid exhausting from the turbine and also by that from said buckets.

3. The combination with an elastic fluid turbine and its shaft, of a disk secured to said shaft, a stationary casing inclosing said turbine and having a head in proximity to said disk, leaving a space between them with a congested outlet at the periphery of the disk, means for admitting elastic fluid to said space, and an ejector for decreasing the fluid pressure in the casing that is acted upon by the fluid exhausting from the turbine and also by that from the congested.

outlet.

4. The combination with an elastic fluid turbine and its shaft, of a disk secured to said shaft, a casing inclosing said turbine and having a head in proximity to said disk,

a pipe communicatfluid pressure within the means admitting fluid to thespace between an exhaust passage comthe disk and head, mulucating with said casing, and a contracted mouth receiving elastic fluid from said elastic fluid turbine, of a disk secured to said shaft and'provided with fan blades, a casing inclosing said turbine and disk and havingan annular exhaust passage, a con tracted mouth discharging into said passage in the plane of the disk, and means for maintaining asubstantially constant pressure of elastic fluid 11 on one face of said disk.

6, The com ination' with an elastic fluid turbine and its shaft, of .a disk secured to the shaft, a casing having a headin proximity to said disk, means for admitting'elastic fluid to the space between the disk and the head to exert a pressure in opposition to. the end thrust on the shaft, means for restricting the escape of elastic fluid from said space and an annular contracted mouth which receives exhaust from the turbine and said restricting means for clecreasing the casing. 7.. An elastic fluid turbine, comprising a rotating element, buckets and fluid discharging devices which extract the energy from the fluid, and an exhaust conduit receiving fluid from-the buckets, in combination with a balancing disk located at the low pressure end of the turbine, buckets thereon, and means for subjecting the disk to high pressure elastic fluid to balance end thrust, and

an ejector which receives the exhaust from v the buckets on said rotating element and disk and discharges the fluid into the said exhaust conduit.

8. In an elastic fluid turbine, the combination of relatively rotatable buckets, means admitting fluid thereto. a casing, a conduit receiving the exhaust. from the buckets, a fan which receives fluid from the buckets, and an ejector which receives uncondcnsed exhaust vapor from the fan and discharges it into the exhaust conduit.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of'March, 1907.

ELIHU 'IH OM S( )N.

Vitnesscs JOHN A. MclL-xxus, J r., I'IENRY O. Vesrnxnonr. 

